After the incredible success Brad Underwood had at Stephen F. Austin, it should’ve stood to reason that whenever he left for a bigger program that it would be watched exceptionally closely.

Underwood’s three-year run at SFA-an 89-14 record, three straight NCAA Tournament trips and two NCAA memorable wins out of a league in the Southland Conference that has frequently dwelled near the bottom of Division I-put him up alongside names such as Brad Stevens and even Adolph Rupp for the best starts to a coaching career. And yet, his move to Oklahoma State this year has seemed to generate fairly little national interest in a sport where increasingly it seems all many media want to talk about are Duke, Kentucky, freshmen and how badly the sport “needs” to move to four quarters because somehow that would keep players from committing a ton of fouls (huh?). … Continue Reading

As we’ve steadfastly pointed out in the past (and probably will again sometime before the season starts), the college basketball season starts too early, and the sport really has a poorly planned way to start the year, opening with a host of guarantee games in what is still the heart of college football season.

One of the good things about college hoops starting as early as it has in recent years, though, (Nov. 11 this year) is it does allow less time to hear bad news. Because, sad as it is, it seems so much of the news in the offseason with this sport is less than positive. (More unneeded NCAA Tournament and officiating tweaks, anyone?)

Unfortunately, we received more unfortunate news Thursday as it was announced Arizona forward Ray Smith has suffered an ACL injury for the third time in three years. Smith also received meniscus damage in his knee, and with those injuries he has decided to end his basketball career. … Continue Reading

Twelve months ago, the anticipation was building. There was plenty of buzz. Plenty of people wondered if the Pac-12 was going to have a new team at the top and carrying the flag. The questions that followed were only natural.

Could California upend teams like Arizona, Utah and Oregon that had been carrying the flag for the conference of late and even be a team to make a deep run in March? Were the Golden Bears at the beginning of something early in Cuonzo Martin’s tenure after getting two McDonald’s All-Americans to come there, including one whom virtually no one thought they had a shot at landing?

The Pac-12 had quite a season in 2015-16, during which the conference celebrated 100 years of existence. It provided tremendous basketball, even if a fair amount of the country didn’t get to see much of it because of the time difference. And it happened with what appears to be a changing landscape all the way around.

For starters, the Pac-12 was a major presence in the RPI. Only the Big 12 was better in terms of conference RPI, but the Pac-12 placed six teams in the RPI top 50 and 10 in the top 100. Since the NCAA adjusted the formula to account for game location in 2004-05, only 12 conferences have produced a better RPI than the Pac-12 did this season.

Welcome to Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis. In this edition, we start by looking back at a departed legend, then continue with some off-season developments.

First, we look back at the life of the late Pearl Washington, a college basketball legend. While he had a relatively uneven NBA career, there is no mistaking that he will be remembered for his college days at Syracuse both on its own merits and within the larger context of the Big East and its rise.

The first two full days of the 2016 NCAA Tournament weren’t like last year, when you couldn’t possibly have two more contrasting days in terms of results. But they did have a clear pattern develop, especially on Friday: for the most part, seeding doesn’t mean so much this year. The day also ended in dramatic fashion.

And with the way the regular season went, this shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s been that kind of year.

With the way this season has played out from the first night of November, it’s no surprise whatsoever that it has taken just three days of conference tournaments to see complete destruction in some brackets.

Top seeds have played in four tournaments so far. Two of the four 1 seeds and two of the four 2 seeds already have been eliminated. So have two 3 seeds. If you want the best chance to still be playing in the America East, Atlantic Sun, Northeast Conference or Patriot League, you want to be a…4 seed?… Continue Reading

The 2015-16 season will go down as one where you didn’t want to be a highly-ranked team. Sunday was no different, capping a week in which only two teams in the AP top 10 did not lose. On the season, teams ranked in the AP top 10 have now lost a record 73 games in those positions in the poll. There is still one week to go, so that record will probably only grow.

Besides that, ESPN Stats and Info put out another great note later on Sunday, which is that every major conference team has at least four losses on the season. That means we will see just the third time since seeding began that all four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament have four or more losses, with 1990 and 2009 being the others.

In a college basketball year that has been defined by unpredictability, we dare say that the host of downright thrilling conference races is a story developing late that is also becoming a signature mark of this season.

Talk of bracketology and bubbles will continue to dominate, but one following the sport nationally is missing out if they haven’t been monitoring some of the intense fights for league honors. There are some fantastic chases going on for championships as well as positioning for league tournaments, and it was evidenced again Thursday night.

The night’s biggest winner was Hofstra, which in a week has vaulted from two games back in the CAA into a tie for the lead and maybe into the driver’s seat for the conference title. The Pride (we still want to call them the Flying Dutchmen every single time) fought back from an 18-point deficit on the road to stun UNC-Wilmington 70-69, ironically reversing exactly what the Seahawks had done to them just three weeks earlier.… Continue Reading

This weekend was just what California needed. Although Sunday was not the bigger game of the two for the Golden Bears, it was still important all the same, and their already strong NCAA Tournament candidacy got a big boost this weekend.

Washington State was within striking distance of the Golden Bears at the half, down just 40-31, but Cal blew open the game as the second half went on and routed the host Cougars 80-62. It capped off a sweep of the Washington schools on the road, and for a Cal team that had struggled on the road, this was just what they needed to take care of any remaining knocks on their resume.

Gonzaga might have needed the West Coast Conference title they won in Las Vegas last year in order to be in the NCAA Tournament. With better guards, there should be no doubt about that this time around.

The Big 12 has been on a great run to be the top conference in recent years, including last year. This year will be a challenge due to a big loss of experience throughout the conference.

Hoopville Archives

Hoopville Archives

College Basketball Books

Everybody Needs a Head Coach

Former college basketball coach Mike Jarvis has a new book out, Everybody Needs a Head Coach.

"As you read this book, I hope that Coach Jarvis' experiences inspire you to find your purpose in life."-Patrick Ewing, NBA Hall of Fame center

"Mike Jarvis' is one of my special friends. I am so pleased that he has taken the time to write this fabulous book."-Mike Krzyzewski, Five-time NCAA championship head coach, Duke Blue Devils

"In reading this book, I can see that Mike hasn't lost his edge or his purpose. Readers should take a look at what he has to say."-Jim Calhoun, Three-time NCAA champion, UConn Men's basketball

Review on Hoopville coming soon!

Coaching Changes and NBA Draft Early Entrants

The coaching carousel is moving. Keep track of the latest coaching changes right here on Hoopville.

Also, keep track of players who have declared early for the NBA Draft.

College Basketball Tonight

We hope you enjoyed COLLEGE BASKETBALL TONIGHT during the 2016 NCAA Tournament. COLLEGE BASKETBALL TONIGHT is a comprehensive look at the NCAA Tournament hosted by veteran college basketball broadcaster Ted Sarandis, along with co-hosts Mike Jarvis and Terry O'Connor, both former Division I coaches. It also included many great guests, including Hoopville's own Phil Kasiecki.

The show aired on AM 710 WOR in New York City on Sunday evenings starting with Selection Sunday and running through the NCAA Tournament.